CLSA Applauds House Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act

For Immediate Release:Dec. 1, 2016

Bipartisan package of innovative reforms will help propel U.S. life sciences research, investment and innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C. and SAN FRANCISCO – Sara Radcliffe, President & CEO of the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the premier statewide public policy and business leadership organization representing California’s leading life sciences innovators, issued the following statement lauding the strong, bipartisan U.S. House passage of H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 392-26:

“California Life Sciences Association applauds House approval of the 21st Century Cures Act, a landmark, bipartisan package of innovative reforms that will help propel the U.S. life sciences research, investment and innovation ecosystem, benefiting patients here and around the world for many years to come.

“For over two years, CLSA has been on the front lines supporting the 21st Century Cures Act. We are delighted to see many patient-centered reforms included in the bill overwhelmingly approved by the House yesterday, particularly provisions that: make a significant investment in federal agencies conducting biomedical research; reauthorize the rare pediatric disease (RPD) priority review voucher (PRV) program; reduce administrative burdens for NIH researchers and enhance the NIH granting process; establish a priority review program at FDA for breakthrough medical devices technologies; bolster our nation’s biodefense and pandemic preparedness enterprise; improve FDA regulatory processes; advance precision medicine, and more.

“We applaud House leaders who’ve worked tirelessly to bring this bill to the finish line, particularly House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). We also thank the 51 bipartisan members of California’s Congressional Delegation for supporting this bill that will help bring new technologies and treatments to patients who desperately need them. We urge the U.S. Senate to swiftly take-up and pass the 21st Century Cures Act.”

Members of California’s Congressional Delegation who supported #CuresNow, the 21st Century Cures Act:

About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. With offices in Sacramento, San Diego, South San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC, CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and others to shape public policy, improve access to innovative technologies and grow California’s life sciences economy. CLSA serves biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers throughout the Golden State. CLSA was founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.